How to visit the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando (Madrid): schedule

In the heart of Madrid we find one of the most beautiful and valuable museums From the capital.

This is the museum of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, a great unknown for many, which you should not miss if you are interested in art in all its branches and want to discover authentic, unsuspected gems.

Although it is not as famous as Prado or Thyssen-Bornemisza, is considered as the second art gallery in Spain for his wealth and abundance of works.

You will find it just two steps from the Puerta del Sol and the new Canalejas Square, Along the Madrid Casino.

Born with the intention of disseminate art and train artists, the then young people paraded through their classes Goya, Velázquez o Picasso.

What paintings are there in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando

Keep a exceptional heritage of more than 1.400 paintings, 600 sculptures, 15.000 drawings, as well as tapestries, silverware and ceramics.

Among them stands out a permanent collection which includes works by Goya, among which are his self-portraits, the Bullfight, portraits of Moratín or the famous scenes of Carnival and Burial of the Sardine.

But there are many more treasures of Zurbaran, Murillo, Ribera, Tintoretto, Rubens, Velázquez o Sorolla.

In addition to the extraordinary museum, the academy also has a Library Archive and a Permanent Photography Room with more than 3.000 images.

If you want to see it calmly and understand it well, it is best to do it in a tour, in which you can discover its surprising Casting WorkshopThat of stamping and, of course, the Chalcography Room that has masterpieces in the universal history of engraving of the very Francisco de Goya.

History of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando

Philip V was the architect of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando; his idea in 1726, at the proposal of the painter Antonio Melendez, was to create an institution in which different artistic expressions would be taught, as in other European countries.

Your son Ferdinand VI was the one who gave shape to the idea, with its foundation in 1752, and his brother Carlos III He became the king who got the institution off the ground.

Its first enclave was Bakery House from the Plaza Mayor, but it was too small for such a large number of students, until in 1773 it was moved to the current Goyeneche palace, In the Alcala Street, architect's work Jose de Churriguera.

La Royal Academy of San Fernando It has carried out enormous educational work for more than two centuries, but also in protecting and disseminating art.

In this institution the three noble arts were taught, architecture, painting y sculpture, but later other disciplines were added, such as the section of music, getting richer over time.

Students trained until they were 15 years old, and without distractions, many became true geniuses.

Very important professors of the caliber of Goya They passed through their classrooms.

The Aragonese painter was elected academic in 1780 by unanimous vote and became honorary director.

It was customary for academics who passed through the academy to leave a particular gift from their discipline, and many of them served as a reference for other apprentices.

This is the visit to the museum of the Royal Academy of San Fernando

In your visit of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando you have a complete tour of the history of art throughout its 59 rooms which are distributed over three floors.

In the ground floor is the Casting Workshop, Restaurants and Cartography Room.

On the upper floors you will find the museum itself, divided into periods and artists, from the Renaissance until the 21st century.

The visit is long and will take you time, at least two hours.

It is a place worth returning to to enjoy its abundance of works of art.

Casting Workshop at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando

If you have reserved your tour, you will be able to appreciate the interesting Casting Workshop which served for the training of students.

The plaster here is the essential protagonist, since the casts are figures made with this material, which imitate marble. They have nothing inside, they are empty and weightless.

Here you will discover the student learning process.

They started by drawing mouths and ears, then moved on to the limbs, and only when they mastered them could they make the complete sculpture.

The workshop has pieces from all periods.

The works were made to order using original molds, also made of plaster or other more modern ones. Made with silicone to fix even the smallest detail.

The copies continue to be made for sale, both for decoration of individuals and institutions around the world; Many are even used for exhibitions, theaters or outdoor parties, since as they weigh little, they pose less risk.

In this room you will see the artists and apprentices who make many of these sculptures or restore them.

The Madrid institution has patented a novel restoration system on which prestigious European museums rely.

Among the latests Moravia's compositions plaster figures that you can enjoy in the museum, including countless ancient Roman busts, including the Flora Farnese brought by Velázquez from Rome, the monumental Hercules of Farnese, or the Ariadne asleep.

Among the masterpieces of casting there is also the Horse's head de Benlliure.

If you would like to buy a smaller copy, you will find them in the museum store.

Chalcography Room at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts

La Chalcography Room is dedicated exclusively to Francisco de Goya and his engravings.

The treasure is your 228 original copper plates engraved by the painter.

There are three different techniques for making engravings, etching, aquatint and drypoint, and each one gives a different detail to the plate; They were like the negatives of photographs.

In the center of the room we can see the iron, the working machine, and engravings that combine contemporary and historical printing.

To better understand the creation process, the plates are accompanied by digital reproductions of each print.

Among the unique works in this room are: Whims, Bullfighting, Disasters of war: Nonsense.

La Ra It also has two stamping workshops that can be seen, but on a guided tour.

Currently they do not stop printing sheets of high level and artistic quality.

Each work requires a different and complex technique, whether in wood, hollow, lithography or screen printing.

Collection of the museum of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando

La permanent collection of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts includes Masterpieces of Spanish, Italian and Flemish art.

On the first floor you will find the spaces dedicated to Goya, Rubens, Murillo, Zurbaran, and Mengs Van Loo.

Goya paintings at the Royal Academy of San Fernando

Apart from the engravings, the Goya collection of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts It is one of the most important of the artist, after that of the Museo del Prado.

Thirteen paintings among which some of his dazzle most famous paintingsas Burial of the Sardine, Equestrian portrait of Ferdinand VII, Self-portrait from 1815 y Aself-portrait before his easel, Along the Portrait of the actress La Tirana.

The works of other great masters are part of the museum, such as Agnus Dei y the Mercedarian Friars de Zurbarán; Susanna and the Elders de Rubens; la Venus de Van Loo, y Saint Jerome Penitent de El Greek.

Also surprising Spring de Giuseppe Arcimboldo, a profile head made up of flowers and leaves that plays with optical illusions and constitutes one of the reference portraits of Mannerism.

A prominent place in this first section of the route is for Murillo, with its paintings and its collection of sculptures, among them The Penitent Magdalene, The Ecstasy of San Francisco o San Diego de Alcalá feeding the poor.

Music Room at Royal Academy of San Fernando

In the second floor, stands out the Music room, a corner that transports you to another era and where you will find the same guitar Andres Segovia from 1962, along with his portrait made by José María López Mequita.

Musician and painter, both were academics at the institution.

At Academy Musical Fund, manuscripts, scores and librettos from different periods are preserved, such as the donation of the Trio for two violins de Boccherini and the piano transcriptions of operas by Rossini.

Apart from the aforementioned Casting Workshop, along the way you will also find the collection of casts; the main course is Gate of Paradise de Ghiberti, plus The Gladiator Fighter, Sleeping Ariadne and along with countless busts and sculptures of all sizes.

Miniatures and sculptures in the Royal Academy of San Fernando

Among the numerous rooms, it also stands out the academy miniatures, a collection of almost fifty small paintings, mostly portraits of Renacimiento y baroque.

In the chapter sculpture, you can not lose yourself The Beheading of the Innocents de Jose Gines, the busts of the kings made by Juan Domingo Olivieri, equestrian statues of Philip V and Charles III o The Dolorosa de Peter of Mena.

In this room there is also a space for architecture, with explanatory models, plans, and even exam tests from those times.

The academy also dealt with the training of architects; Colomer, Muguruza o Juan de Villanueva, among others, are linked to this institution.

Works of the 20th century at the Royal Academy of San Fernando

El Twentieth Century occupies the third floor of the palace.

These rooms require special attention to bring you the vision of contemporary art of today's academics.

Among the crown jewels: Sorolla and Bathing on the beach; fruit bowl, bottle and newspaper, cubist work of John Gray; or part of the set of engravings of Picasso for the Vollard Suite.

They also draw attention Portrait of Juliet with fan de Ignatius Zuloaga, Sonata 14 de Fernando Labrada o Form i black signs de tapies.

Among the sculptures in these rooms, the head of Antonio Machado de Pablo Serrano y The reflection de Julio lópez, two hands drinking coffee as a mirror of their daughter Hope.

Assembly Hall of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando

Finally, the Assembly Hall of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando It will not cease to surprise you either.

A small room, but full of beauty and charm, in which its historic organ stands out and which can only be accessed for concerts.

You can see it from the upper floor, and if you want to attend its shows, you just have to keep an eye on the concert program.

Visiting times for the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando

La Royal Academy is in the Alcalá street 13, Together with the Puerta del Sol, in Madrid.

The Visiting hours of the museum of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts They are, from Tuesday to Sunday and holidays, from 10 a.m. to 15 p.m., closed on Mondays and special dates such as January 1 and 6, May 1 and 30, November 9, December 24,25, 31 and XNUMX.

Museum ticket prices of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando

The ticket prices The general rate is 8 euros, with a reduced rate of 4 euros for people over 65 years of age, retirees, and students over 25 years of age.

They can visit the museum for free those under 18 years of age, university students, unemployed, journalists, teachers, researchers, disabled people and large families.

The guided tours are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, non-holidays, upon request; For groups you can reserve them at this address: museum.visitas@rabasf.org and for private visits: acts.culturales@rabasf.org